paris dunn



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. P. DUNN.

FIRE ESCAPE LADDER. No. 350,047. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. P. DUNN.

FIRE ESCAPE LADDER. No. 350,047. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT ErcE.

J. PARIS DUNN, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE LADDER.

.BPECIPICA'I'ION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,047, dated September 28, 1886.

Application tiled July 10, 1884. Renewed June 3-2, i395.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, .T. lARIs DUNN, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at New York, N. Y., have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire- Escape Ladders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the fireescapes t'or which Letters Patent Nos. 250,901 and 267,504: have heretofore been issued to me.

The invention has for its objects to provide novel means to rigidly hold the pivoted ladder-rounds against lateral movement when unfolded for use and to bring the abutting ends of the trout i'aitseeiions into proper align ment and squarely upon each other, so as to prevent the ends of the sections from overlapping; to provide novel means whereby the hinge-blocks secured to the front railseetion are prevented from coming in contact with the surfaces of the front railseetion when the ladder-ronmls are folded upward tor the purpose of permitting the ladder to more easily 1111 told when desired for use to provide a novel hingebloek which will come directly against and closely embrace the sides of a central flange on the front railsection when the ladder-rounds are unfolded, but will not bear against the said centraltlange when the ladderrounds are folded, wvhereby the ladder-rounds will more easily unfold, and when brought to this position the trout rail-section will be more firmly and. rigidlyheldin position; ai1d,ti11ally, to provide novel and simple means [or moving the latelnoperating bar to receive the ladderrounds and permit them to unfold. These ob jects of my invention are ZLt'COlllIlilShEd in the manner and by the mechanism hereinafter described and claimed. reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a broken perspective view of suli'icient of a tire-escape ladder to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a detached perspective view 01' one of the hinge-blocks; Fig. 3, a top plan. view of the'hinge-block, showing its position on the eentralflange of the outer railsection when unfolded; Fig. 4, a. similar view, showing the position of the parts when folded; Figs. 5 and U, detached perspective views of the holders and supports for the pivoted ladder-rounds; Fig. 7, a modified construction of the same; Fig. 8, a broken perspective view of A gain renewed May 16, 1886.

Serial No. 201,401. (No model.)

'sufticient to show the device for moving the latch-operating bar, and Fig. 9, a detached perspective view of the hand-lever for moving the latch-operating bar.

The stationary easing may be of the same construction as that in my patents alluded to, the vertical side plates, 1 Ll, being secured to the wall of the building between the windows. The ladder-roumls 2 are pivoted to pins or pintles 3 at a short distance from their ends to provide the inner end extensions, 4, and be tween the plates 01' the casings are secured the combined guides, holders, andsnpports5, each composed of a block having a semicircular concavity in one face, to form two side flanges, 6, and a bottom wall or rest, 7, in which the ladder-round seat-s. These guides and hold ers are arranged so that one is in rear of the pivot-pin 3 and above the laddcr-round and another in front 01' the pivot-pin and below the round, a pair of the guides and hold ers occupying this relation to each round in such manner that when the round is unfolded to a horizontal position, as in Fig. 1., they rest against the bottom wall or rest, 7, and the side flanges closely embrace the round to firmly hold it against any movement in a lateral direction or transversely to the case. The flanges (i also act on the opposite sides of the rounds in their unfolding movement to ac eurately guide the same in a straight way to the proper position equidistant between the plates or walls of the case,and, therefore,when the outer or movable rail, 8, of the ladder is made in sections, as in my patentsmentioned, the abutting ends of the rail sections are brought into align mentand squarely and evenly one upon the other to prevent the adjacent ends overlapping, and thereby presenting, as it were, a continuous and even rail. The bot tom walls or rests ot' the guides and holders serve to sustain the ladder-rounds above and below at opposite sides of their pivotal points, whereby the pivots are in a large measure, it not wholly, relieved 01' strain.

The combined guides and supports may be composed of metal blocks forged into the described conllguration with the side lugs, 9, as in Fig. 6, to engage recesses in the plates or walls of the case; or the blocks may be transversely perforated at to receive separate pin 11, as in Fig. 5. They may also be con1- posed of a pin to constitute the bottom wall or rest, 7, and circular flanges, as in Fig. 7; or the flanges on the pin may be oblong or of other suitable shape instead of circular. If the flanges are circular, they may be rigid or loose on the pin.

The'front rail-section is composed of a T- shaped iron bar, and the ladder-rounds are connected with the central flange, 12, through the medium of hinge-blocks 13 of novel construction. These blocks may be of cast-iron or other metal, and each oneis constructed at its outer end with an open slot, the sides of which converge from the toe end 14 of the flanges 15 to the heel end 16 thereof, so thatthe slot. is practically wedgeshaped or decreases in width from toe to heel in such manner that when theladder-rounds are folded the flanges 15 do not come in contact with the surfaces of the central rail-flange, 12; but when firm and substantial, which, in conjunction with the flanged round-supports 5, renders the ladder practically rigid and steady when unioldedfor use.

Some difficulty exists in the operation of the ladder as heretofore constructed, due to the fact that the hinge-block closely fits the central rail-flange when folded, and when the ladder stands for a length of time without attention the flanges of the hinge-block stick to the central rail-flange by the formation of rust or from other causes, and consequently it is sometimes-impossible or very difficult to unfold the ladder. tion and the ladder rendered easy of operation at all times. The hinge-blockone or more on each ladder-sectionis provided with a recess, 16, to receive and engage the hooked .end of the pivoted latch 17, which enters a slot, 18, in the vertically sliding bar 19, so that when the front rail-section is folded up the latch will engage the hinge-block and retain the ladder in its folded position. To move the sliding bar vertically, I provide a lever, 20, pivoted at its lower end, as at 21., between cars 22 on one of the side plates of the case, said lever having an inward-projecting tail-piece, 23, which passes through an opening in the side plate and enters a recess or slot in the sliding bar, so that by drawing the handle 24 of the lever outward, the tail-piece, acting directly on the sliding bar, lifts it and operates the latch to release the hinge-blocks and permit the ladder to unfold by gravity. A pivoted pusher, 25, may be used to start the ladder when the latch-operating bar is raised. This provides a simple and convenient means for This is entirely avoided by my invenoperating the ladder from the outsidev of the case, the lever being readily accessible from a window, but the lever may be connected by devices with the interior of the building, so that it can be swung from the inside.

The hinge-blocks constructed as described may be made integral with the ladder-rounds, but I prefer to make them separate and after ward attach them to the rounds.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim is 1. The combination,with the pivoted rounds of a folding ladder, of a guide and support composed of a bottom rest and side flanges for guiding the rounds and holding them against lateral movement, substantially as described.

2. The combination,with the pivoted rounds of a folding ladder, of a pair of guides and holders for each round arranged respectively above and below and in front and rear of the pivot, and each composed of abottom rest and side flanges for holding the round against lateral movement, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the pivoted -ladderrounds and the flanges for embracing the rounds when unfolded and holding them against lateral movement, substantially as de scribed.

4. The combination, with the pivoted lad der-rounds and the flanged rail, of a hinge having flanges, which closely embrace and steady the rail-flange when unfolded, and are free from contact with the rail-flange when folded, substantially as described.

5. The hinge-block constructed with. a slot decreasing in width'from the toe to the heel, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the ladder-rounds and the flanged rail, of a hinge block having a slot decreasing in width from the toe to the heel end portion, substantially as described.

7. The combination,with the pivoted rounds and the flanged rail-section, of the hinge-block having two flanges embracing and pivotally connected with the rail-flange at their toe por tion, said flanges being separated by'a slot, the sides of which converge from toe to heel, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the case, the pivoted rounds, a front rail, and the vertical ICO IIO

latch-operating bar, of a pivoted lever having an attached tail end directly engaging the bar, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig- Vitn esses EWELL A. DICK,

J'Aluns L. NoRms. 

